Cicero to Atticus, written at the Tusculan villa on the morning of 27 June 44 BC — Perseus dateline Scr. in Tusculano v K. Quint. mane a. 710 (44). A short, sour note. Cicero is glad young Quintus has finally cleared off (“he will be no trouble”); a smaller fraction of the previous letter’s exasperation, but the same exasperation. He then runs through the political question of Pansa, consul-designate for the next year. Pansa is reported to be talking the right way, but Cicero notes the man’s long association with Hirtius and asks the sceptic’s three questions: when will Pansa even see Brutus and Cassius? When did he become hostile to Antony? Why? “How long shall we be played with?”

The reference to Sextus Pompeius, now active in Spain, is corrected: in the previous letter Cicero had said Sextus was “on his way,” meaning that Sextus was certainly making for war and would not lay down arms, not that he was actually about to arrive. “Our Cytherian here” is Antony — so called from his liaison with the mime-actress Volumnia Cytheris — who Cicero says is convinced only the victor will live. The letter ends abruptly with the expectation of seeing Atticus the same day or the next.